Starry Sky Professional

Qinglin Market.

A seemingly ordinary, slightly chubby young man strides through its entrance.

This man is none other than Fang Xing!

Since breaking into the 'Tendon and Bone Realm', Fang Xing discovered he could even 'fine-tune' his physique at will. He could change his weight as he pleased, and presumably, with more profound mastery, he might alter his height and bone structure.

Thus, he simply adopted a new appearance and reentered this cultivators' market.

"Golden Spirit Fruits! Tasty Golden Spirit Fruits, only for one grain of spirit sand!"

"Selling talismans, any kind you desire, thirty percent cheaper than the shops!"

"Magical tools, there are even magical tools!"

The market was, as always, bustling.

Fang Xing even saw a group of people gathered around a stall, eyeing the vendor with a menacing aura, someone who was clearly unapproachable.

Or rather, they were focused on a magical flying sword in front of him, their faces alight with eagerness.

"Is this the... magical tool?"

Fang Xing glanced over and saw a dark iron sword, only as long as a palm, with visible signs of wear.

"Second-hand low-grade magical tool 'Black Feather Sword'... only twenty spirit stones!"

The vendor, arms crossed, flashed a look of impatience across his face, "If you're broke, don't bother!"

Probably due to his profound cultivation, the nearby people sheepishly gave way, none daring to cause trouble.

"Ah, what a pity, why isn't it a 'Blood Refined Magical Tool'?"

A martial artist sighed as he gazed at the black sword.

Compared to talismans, magical tools require higher mastery for control!

Even innate martial artists cannot use low-grade magical tools.

Unless... it is crafted through special methods as a 'Blood Refined Magical Tool', allowing warriors to activate it with their internal energy or even their own blood.

"Though Blood Refined Magical Tools don't have much power, comparable to ordinary low-grade magical tools, they're troublesome to make and use rare materials... At least a hundred low-grade spirit stones is just a starting price, so keep dreaming."

A nearby cultivator sneered immediately.

Having seen enough of the spectacle, Fang Xing went on his way.

After all, he couldn't afford it...

Qingdan Workshop.

The maid from last time was not there; instead, a woman around her twenties greeted him this time.

She wore a peach-colored Taoist robe, well-tailored, exuding a bright aura. She smiled before speaking when she saw Fang Xing, "Esteemed guest, how may I assist you today?"

"Herbs for sale!"

Fang Xing announced succinctly, taking out a white fruit.

This fruit was about the size of a baby's fist, with snake-like patterns on its surface, emitting a faint fishy smell.

"Is this... a Snake Orchid Fruit? This herb is rather rare; I can offer you two spiritual stones for it," the woman in the robe's eyes lit up. "How many does this guest have?"

"Only two, both were obtained through life and death ordeals..."

Fang Xing took out another Snake Orchid Fruit, sighing with mixed emotions.

In reality, he had a whole box of such fruits!

The place where he picked them was somewhat dangerous, the habitat of a giant python in the river, where a few imitation birds had been swallowed!

Judging from various signs, that giant python was stronger than a boar demon and obviously more dangerous. The herbs near its lair might be more precious and costly.

It was just as he had speculated, harvesting these to test the waters!

After obtaining four inferior spiritual stones, Fang Xing first purchased a bottle of 'Qi and Blood Pills', and upon exiting the Qingdan Workshop, he saw the signboard of the Little Charm Hall, and unthinkingly walked in, "Give me a Spirit Measuring Charm!"

"Perhaps... there's something off with the charms of this Little Charm Hall."

"One example proves nothing; without multiple trials, it's ultimately unreliable!"

After leaving the Little Charm Hall, Fang Xing wandered around some more, intending to buy another 'Spirit Measuring Charm' from a stall.

If the results were the same all three times, he would have to accept it.

"Would this guest like some spiritual rice?"

Just as Fang Xing was looking for a stall selling charms, a timid voice suddenly interjected.

Turning his head, he saw a stall selling spiritual rice.

A girl in red was eyeing him nervously and expectantly.

"Is this inferior spiritual rice?"

Fang Xing stepped forward, picked up a handful of spiritual rice, and inquired blandly.

This spiritual rice was much larger than ordinary white rice, exuding a lotus scent that stirred one's appetite.

"Yes, it is! Just one spiritual sand for a pound!"

The girl quickly put on a pleasing smile: "All the cultivators eat this daily! It's said that if mortals eat a lot of it, they might even bear offspring with spiritual roots."

"Oh? If I eat a lot, can I myself develop spiritual roots?" Fang Xing asked, intrigued.

"That's impossible! There are no cases in the cultivation world of spiritual roots being acquired post-birth!" The girl shook her head repeatedly, stating it as if it were common knowledge.

Fang Xing suddenly felt a bit despondent, "Then I won't buy it; I'm not a cultivator, it's useless to me!"

“Who says it’s useless? Those powerful martial artists often eat spiritual rice too. It enhances vitality and blood, and it's completely natural without any trace of pill toxins!” the young girl quickly chimed in.

“Pill toxins?”

Fang Xing paused in his tracks.

“Yes, taking pills frequently can lead to pill toxins. If they accumulate, it can harm the body, even weakening potential, causing cultivators to be stuck at bottlenecks without progress... That's why those cultivators consume spiritual rice in their daily training, only resorting to pills during crucial breakthroughs.”

The girl added another line, “That's what my grandfather said.”

Intrigued, Fang Xing felt that the girl was somewhat naive in worldly matters, so he chatted a little more.

He then learned that although pills have toxins, they don’t really pose a significant threat to cultivators.

After all, many wandering cultivators have already perished before reaching the higher realms.

Furthermore, with the advancement of techniques and breakthroughs to greater realms, there is a process of shedding impurities, expelling some toxins from the body.

Moreover, the human body has a natural self-cleansing function, so as long as the accumulation of pill toxins doesn’t exceed a certain limit, there’s no major concern.

“Thank you, young lady. I’ll buy... ten kilos of spiritual rice then. By the way, what's your name?”

Fang Xing felt a bit guilty about the free advice and proactively pulled out spirit stones to pay.

“My name is Ding Hong Xiu. Our family’s He Xiang spiritual rice is the best among the lower grade varieties!” Ding Hong Xiu puffed up her small chest with a bit of pride.

“Haha, I’ll remember that.”

A moment later.

“Hmm?”

After comparing several options, Fang Xing finally purchased a cheap ‘Spirit Detection Talisman’ and spotted a herbal stall, his eyes narrowing suddenly.

The one setting up the stall was none other than the old pipe man who had been following him earlier!

However, the old man clearly hadn’t recognized his disguised self.

‘Perfect timing, my strength has improved. Time to settle old scores!’

Fang Xing thought for a moment, turned down an alley, and wiped his face.

His flesh twitched, and his appearance shifted back to the honest-looking young man he had used as a disguise before!

‘No need to confront the old man directly, just let him glimpse me unintentionally...’

Fang Xing quickly devised a plan: ‘The warriors in this world peak at the innate level. This old man isn’t a cultivator, at most he’s innate... He might have some tricks up his sleeve, so I should be ready.’

......

A few hours later.

Fang Xing swaggered out of Qinglin Market and plunged into the wilderness.

Behind him, the old pipe man narrowed his eyes slightly, following his trail closely.

"Hmm? As expected, you're following me, aren't you?"

Fang Xing maintained a consistent pace, keeping just the right distance, running more than ten miles.

He tapped his watch, and immediately saw the surveillance feed from a bird-shaped drone in the sky.

"And... there are no other people around. It seems there’s no backup."

"Judging by the movement and speed, it's consistent with what was previously stated—just a martial artist... not lying..."

"In that case..."

Fang Xing pressed something at his chest, and a layer of silvery-white nano-protective suit enveloped his entire body, with a stun baton falling into his right hand.

"Hmm? Where is he? Did I let the fat sheep escape again?"

The old man with the smoking pipe burst into a dense forest but didn't see Fang Xing. A trace of annoyance involuntarily appeared on his face.

Being at the lower rung of the Qinglin Market, his options for killing and robbing were limited.

It was rare to encounter such a suitable fat sheep, only for the prey to escape, not once, but twice. This was indeed somewhat...

Just then, his ears perked up, and he suddenly looked up.

A small bird, like a Yellow Warbler, was perched on a treetop, staring at him unblinkingly.

"Am I really getting old? How come even an ordinary little bird feels dangerous?"

The old man sighed a bit, reminiscing.

In his younger days, he was a martial arts master, unmatched in his area, almost a martial arts supreme figure.

If not for following an immortal master on a crazy quest for mortal cultivation, he wouldn't have ended up in this godforsaken place, eventually losing even the immortal master he followed, leaving him to merely get by...

Poof!

As the old man was lost in thought, the Yellow Warbler suddenly flapped its wings and flew down.

It seemed to have a talisman gripped in its claws, with bright vermilion cinnabar ink on it, exuding a dangerous aura.

"No, that's... a Fireball Talisman?!"

Fireball Talismans!

These are among the few talismans that ordinary people can use by tearing them open.

However, without a cultivator's magical power to guide and aim, they're easy to misuse, so they sell cheaply in the market at just one low-grade spirit stone!

The next moment!

Boom!

A burst of flames suddenly appeared, engulfing the Yellow Warbler while wrapping around the old man as well.

Not far away, Fang Xing watched the scene unfold, a slight smile playing at the corner of his lips: "Remote combat, learn a little about it..."

With just one drone armed with the right weaponry, it can become a terrifying harbinger of death in an instant!

Of course, the Blue Star Federation maintains strict control over such weaponry.

But things are different in this other world.

Here, spirit stones can buy anything! They even encourage you to seek greater power!

Fang Xing sold his Lan Snake Fruit and earned four lower-grade spirit stones. He spent one on a Vitality Pill, another on a Spiritual Measurement Talisman, a third on Lotus Fragrant Spiritual Rice, and saved the last to buy a 'Fireball Talisman'!

Naturally, though he already possessed two Spiritual Measurement Talismans, he managed to haggle with a vendor, getting a price of only seven spiritual sands, sufficient to cover his earlier expenses.

"A drone paired with a Fireball Talisman becomes a flying bomb, without the risk of self-harm... hmm?"

Fang Xing glanced over again, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

He saw an old man emerge on the screen, disheveled as the flames dissipated.

The elder's hair and beard showed signs of charring, yet his body was cloaked in a feeble golden glow.

This golden light was incredibly weak, and a second later, it vanished completely...

"A lower-grade first-level defensive talisman—Golden Light Talisman? Its defensive power pales in comparison to the 'Golden Bell Shield'. Is this your trump card?"

Fang Xing remotely guided more drones into view, several small birds clutching talismans flew toward the elder.

Upon witnessing this, the old man was horrified and turned to flee!

"It seems he has only one defensive talisman left..."

Fang Xing concluded, vanishing in a flash into the forest.

The later drones were real, but the talismans were fakes, crudely disguised with yellow paper and red ink, yet the old man dared not scrutinize them too closely.

Being able to bluff out so much was already quite satisfactory.

"Damn it, I'm going down this time!"

The old man retreated swiftly, his expression twisted into a snarl.

Suddenly, a silver-white silhouette appeared ahead of him, pointing a black stick at him.

"Hah!"

He raised his smoking pipe to block the assault of the black rod.

Sizzle!

In that moment, a beam of silver-white electricity shot out from the tip of the black rod, hurtling towards his face!

"Ah, let's die together!"

The old man's expression showed a calm acceptance of his fate, as he activated a mechanism on the smoking pipe.

A poisonous needle fired from the pipe's bowl, resembling a snake striking its prey, extremely sinister!

This was an accidental find in the mundane martial world—an obscure hidden weapon named 'Heaven's End Needle', topping the list of hidden weapons in the martial world!

'Ding!'

A pitch-black poison needle was intercepted by the nano-suit and fell to the ground, where the surrounding plants rapidly began to wither.

Subsequently, the old man's charred body was hurled backwards, landing lifelessly on the ground...

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(End of Chapter)